Clinton school board discusses superintendent search

Wednesday

Nov 21, 2012 at 2:00 PM

By David FrownfelderDaily Telegram Staff Writer

No decision was made Monday on how the Clinton Board of Education will proceed in the search for a new superintendent. David Pray is retiring after the 2012-13 school year after 43 years as Clinton’s superintendent.

At the October meeting, members of the board’s personnel committee said they were hoping to make a recommendation Monday, but did not do so.

The Michigan Association of School Boards may help the district in its search.Richard Dunham, MASB superintendent search director, met with the board Monday to give an overview of the search, if MASB is contracted to help.

According to the minutes from Monday’s board meeting, Dunham told trustees the primary objective, besides finding the best fit with the district, would be to ensure the Open Meetings Act and the Elliott-Larson Civil Rights Act are not violated. He estimated the process would take 11 to 13 weeks.

As he did when detailing the process to the Tecumseh Board of Education in October, Dunham said the first three weeks would be used to establish timelines, benchmarks and input from various interests in the district. He said the board would review the applications from 18 to 23 people and narrow the search to five to seven candidates for a first round of public interviews. The list would be narrowed even further for a second round.

The MASB is assisting Tecumseh in its search for a superintendent. Mike McAran is retiring after this school year following eight years as Tecumseh superintendent.Dunham said that after the second round of interviews, the board could decide on a candidate and enter into contract negotiations before any offer is extended. If contracted, he said the MASB would remain active in assisting the board with workshops following the selection.

Pray’s last day with the Clinton schools will be June 30, 2013. He had retired following the 2010-11 school year, but was hired back at one-third of his salary under provisions set by the state. The move saved Clinton schools an estimated $100,000 in salary and benefits.

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